Ward robe-bedstead



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F. B. WILLIAMS.

WARDROBE BEDSTEAD.

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F. B. WILLIAMS.

WARDROBE BEDSTEAD. I No. 376,126. N PatentedJan. 10 188.8.

I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FITZALLAN B. WILLIAMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WARDROBE-BEDST-EAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 376,126, dated January10, 1888. Application filed August 9, 1886. Serial No. 210,400. (Nomodel.)

, ing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wardrobe-bedsteads containing astationary upright frame, in combination with a folding frame pivotedthereto and counterbalanced by a weight; and the objects of'theimprovements are, first,.to provide means for shifting the pivotalconnection between the frames during the operation of opening andclosing the same, and, second, to provide alever-connection between theweight and frames so arranged as to lessen the amount of weight requiredto counterbalance the folding frame. I attain these objects by means ofthe mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which--Figure is a vertical section,the bed being folded, parts being brokenaway. Fig. 2 is a similar section, the bed being open. Fig. 3 is anenlarged detail section taken online as m of Fig.1. Fig. 4 is a rearelevation, the'bed being folded. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation, the bedbeing open.

A designates the uprights of the frame, which are held together at thetop, in the rear, by the upper portion, A, of the head-board,permanently attached to the uprights, and at the bottom, in front, by across-piece, A. A groove, a, at the rear of the upright extends downfrom the upper portion of thehead-board to the bottom of the uprights.

B is the folding frame, which is of ordinary construction. It isconnected with the upright frame by trunnions b, which rest on slidingor movable trunnion plates or carriages b, supported-on the uprightframe. The trunnionplates are provided with supplemental sup ports, I),at the front end, which extend down and have wheels or casters 0 at thebottom. These supplemental supports should be connected together by acrosspiece, 0, extending across from one side of the bed to the otherand uniting them for the purpose of giving them lateral support. Theyshould also fit against the edge of the uprights at the base projection,as to cover it and form an ornamental finish with the moldings D orother trimmings. The trunnion-plates are supported by cleats o'r boards,as a, attached to the uprights, and preferably on anti-friction rollersor pulleys e. For the purpose of forming a finish over thetrunnion-plates, I attach boards or cleats a to the uprights above thetrunnion-plates and cover the open space between these boards and theboards a with thin pieces a which are attached to the edge of thetrunnion-plates by means of screws.

The lower portion, A of the head-board is hinged to the head end rail,B, of the folding frame, and has its edges fitted into the grooves a ofthe uprights, and it slides up and down, as the bed is opened andclosed, without any lateral movement, the trunnion-plates shifting backand forth and carrying the trunnions back and forth, soas to maintainthe hinged connection between the sliding headboard and end rail of thefolding frame in a vertical position during its movement up and down andwithout a tendency to move laterally in the slot a to cause binding orcramping of the parts.

The supports ofthe trunnion-plates are preferably arranged on a slightincline from the rear downward toward the front and the supplementalsupports just clear of the floor when the bed is closed, as seen in Fig.1, so that as the trunnion moves outward during the operation ofunfolding the wheels 0 will strike the fioor when the bed is about halfopen and remain on the floor and support the outer end of the platesduring the rest of the operation and until the bed reaches the sameposition in the operation of closing. By the use of sliding ormovabletrunnion-plates thus arranged with supplemental supports at thefront or outer ends the base of the bedstead, which rests on the floorwhen the bed is folded, may be made much narrower from front to rearthan it could otherwise be without being liable to tip over when the bedis being opened.

The weight w is suspended by two links, a to a system of levers, L,which levers are pivoted together at their ends Z, and also pivoted to astationary part of the head-board, as at Z, near the top, and to apiece, L, attached to the sliding portion of the head-board, as at Z.These levers are preferably made of fiat bars of iron, so that they maybe made light and will not take up much space laterally.

Fig.4 shows the position of thelevers when the bed is closed, the weightthen being at the bottom, and Fig. 5shows the position of the levers andweight when the bed is open. The weight thus may be made to move twiceor more than twice the distance through which the headboard moves in theopening and closing, and consequently a very small weight added to theweight of the head-board itself with this advantage of leverage issufficient to counterbalance the folding frame, so as ,to require onlyslight lifting to open or close the bed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Thecombination, with the upright frame provided with slidingtrunnion-plates having an independent support which is adapted to comein contact with the floor in operation, of the folding frame providedwith trunnions supported on such trunnion-plates and adapted to move thetrunnion-plates out and in on the upright frame by the opening andclosing of the folding frame, substantially as specified.

2. In a wardrobe -bedstead, the upright frame, in combination with thefolding frame and sliding head-board hinged thereto and sliding on theupright frame, and the system of lazy-tongs composed of levers L,pivoted to a stationary part of the head-board and to an upright pieceon the sliding head-board, and having the counterpoise-weightsuspendedthereon, substantially as specified.

FITZALLAN B. WILLIAMS. Vitnesscs:

J OHN H. WHIPPLE, J. R. DEAN.

